Method of metal rolling



May 13 19:24. 1,493,776

H. R. GEER METHOD OF METAL ROLLING Filed March 29 192i Patented May 13, 1924.

sear;

PTENT EHCE,

HARRY R. GEEK, 0F JOI-INSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF METAL ROLLING.

Applicati n filed March 29, 1921. Serial no. 456,568.

T 0 all w ham it may Concern Be it known that I. HARRY R. GEEK, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Johnstown, county of Cambria, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of hiletal Rolling; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to metal rolling with special reference to a method by which a plurality of metal bars may be substantially continuously produced from a set of two-high rolls, and whereby most of the passes in said rolls are always occupied-by bars in different stages of completion.

My invention also relates to the apparatus by which this is accomplished.

Although my invention is adapted for use in connection with producing rolled metal bars of various shapes, sections or contorma tions, I will herein for the sake of simplicity of description and illustration confine myself to forms which are known as blooms, billets or slabs, the sections of which are approximately square or rectangular and with or without rounded corners.

One previous praoticein this respect has been to use a three-high'mill consisting of three rolls contained in one housing, namely, a bottom roll, a middle roll and an upper roll. the middle and upper rolls being directly above the lower roll, and such rolls are set in place and are firmly lined and ad justed at a certain distance apart between their axes so that the passes therein, are of constant size. This requires the use of a lifting and lowering apparatus such as tables, manipulators, 'etc., to move the ma? terial from the upper passes to the lower passes and vice versa. and from one pass to the next. Such a three-high mill is inflexible in its operation and can only produce the size for which it is set, and all passes in such a mill cannot be used at the same time as the lifting tables are either in line for the upper passes or in line for the lower passes, and the other handling mechanism is such that ordinarily only an upper or a lower pass can be used for roll.- ing metal at one time.

With the usual twoehigh mills heretofore constructed the upper roll is generally moved upwardly or downwardly to vary the sizes of the passes, but this is done in varying amounts, namely, before an ingot or bloom is introduced into the first pass the upper roll is moved downwardly to an extent sufficient to give the required draft or reduction, and as the piece progresses through the rolls this amount of movement gradually becomes less for the reason that the amount of roll movement and consequent reduction before the first pass if applied to the smaller bars would be entirely too great and the smaller bars would not enter the passes or if the reduction is not quite so great and it did enter it would be torn-or spoiled, and in such case there is always a possibility of roll breakage.

In prior two-high mills the rolls are moved to different distances to accomplish the rolling, and consequently the desired amount of movement to arrange the size of one pass would not make the other passes of the proper sizes for the amount of reduction required or necessary, so that only one bar could be rolled at any time whereas the amount of movement of my roll being sub stantially the same at all times it is good for all passes and allows me to roll bars in all the grooves at the same time, thereby multiplying the output of the mill as many times as there are passes by the continuous operation of rolling in substantially all of the passes at the same time.

In other words the prior two-high m1lls had different reductions or roll movements for the different passes and those for one pass did not suit the other passes, whereas in my invention the extent of roll movement is predetermined and substantially constant for all passes.

By means of my method and apparatus I obviate all the prior difficulties and I arrange my two-high rolls in such a way that they may be first rotated in one direction and then in the opposite direction to return the bars, and for the purpose o1 clarity of description I will call the first of these rotations the forward movement which is in the direction of the first entering and the finished bar and the other the return movement of the bars.

I also prefer to arrange the lifting and lowering of one or both of the rolls to a certain and approximately predetermined amount, the reasons for which will hereinafter more fully appear.

The difficulties above mentioned with the prior two-high and three-high mills are obviated by my invention as I arrange the rolls with a substantially predetermined amount of movement to or from each other, which amount of movement is approximately equal to the difference between the height and width dimensions of the adjacent grooves and when the rolls are apart or the top roll is in raised position all of the passes are substantially square for the forward moving bars, and the differences in size between the successive squares are substantially equal to the extent of the predetermined movementof the rolls to and from each other, and when the rolls are in their closed position. for the return movement of the bars all of the passes'therein have a height dimension substantially equal to the width of the next succeeding forward pass, thus n'iaking it possible in a two-high reversing mill to roll a plurality of pieces in part or all of the passes simultaneously. It will also he obviously necessary to employ suitable roller tables or other apparzv tus and also suitable manipulating or shifting mechanism in connection with the roll arrangement to move the bars from one pass into the next pass, but these constructions can be similar to many devices now used for this purpose, and consequently are not shown, described nor illustrated herein.

I prefer to make the taper of the collars of the rolls about ten degrees more or less as illustrated approximately herein, and the bottoms of the passes may be beaded, concave or plain as shown.

In designing the passes of the rolls I prefer, as before stated, to make the height of one pass substantially equal to the width of the next succeeding pass, but when the passes are arranged in a practical manner, the relative sizes of these dimensions may be varied within limits to allow for what is known as the spread or lateral increase in width of the bar when being reduced and formed in the pass, and the width of the bar should also be less than the width of the next pass in which it is to be rolled, in order to insure that it will easily enter therein, besides which on account of the wear of the roll passes from their original dimensions, the amount of difference or variation between the height dimension of one pass and the width dimension of the next may be considerable without in any manner departing from the essence of my invention.

I also wish it understood. that although I prefer to make the difference between the height dimension of one pass and the width dimension of the next pass substantially equal to the amount of movement of the rolls toward or from each other, this and the extent of the roll movements may also be varied within limits in order to provide forthe usual irregularities and compensations necessary in practical work of this kind.

For the purpose of illustration I have shown a pair of rolls provided with four passes which are substantially rectangular but the sides of the collars of which are provided with the usual taper for clearance purposes and this taper may be of larger amount in the larger passes than in the succeeding or final pass, but I can however make the passes of the rolls of various contour or shape desired to produce other sections which may be rolled in this manner,

The top roll is preferably provided with mechanism to move it up and down to a predetermined and substantially constant extent, but this mechanism may be of the now usual electrically driven screw type, and is not illustrated herein as it does not form a part of my invention, but for the sake of completeness of the illustration, arrows are shown at the lower portion of the upper roll neck to indicate the upward movement of the roll and others at the upper side of the upper roll neck to indicate the downward movement thereof by means of the mechanism just mentioned. This roll lifting and lowering mechanism may have any extent of movement so that my mill may be used in the prior manner but when used according to my invention the roll movement is predetermined and of substai'itially constant; amount.

Having thus given a general description of my invention, I will now, in order to make the matter more clear, refer to the annexed sheet of drawings which forms part of this specification and in which like characters of reference refer to like parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a set of rolls for a two-high. rolling mill, showing the rolls in their raised position for the forward rolling of the bars, and Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same set of rolls in their lowered position: for the return rolling.

Referring now to the characters of reference on the drawings: 1 indicates the upper roll generally, 2 the lower roll, 3 are the necks of the upper rolls, 4 are the necks of the lower rolls, 5 is the first and forward pass in the rolls, 16 is the second return pass, 6 is the third pass which is forward, 17 is the fourth pass returning, 7 is the fifth pass forward, 18 is the sixth pass returning, 8 is the seventh pass forward, and 19 may be either a blank pass or the last pass returning, in case a rectangular section is desired, although where substantially square billets are desired 8 would be the last pass.

The blooms or billets in these various passes are respectively numbered 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 142 and in their order.

Although I have shown seven passes I wish it understood that I may use a greater or lesser number of passes as desired.

As indicated in Figure 1 the space between the roll collars or the extreme portion of the rolls is and the very slight or practically no space between the rolls as illustrated in Figure 2 is 21.

In order that this matter may be clearly understood I will present as an illustration some figures giving the approximate dimensions for the approach and retracting move ment of the roll or rolls and the sizes of the roll passes, but wish it clearly understood that these sizes and dimensions may be greater or lessor varied within any reason able limits, the single set of figures being merely given as illustrative.

Referring now to the first and forward pass 5, the height of the pass between the bottoms of the grooves of the adjacent rolls might be 7 inches and the width about 7 inches which would receive a bloom about 9 inches high and 7 inches thick. After this bloom of 9 by 7 inches is rolled through the first and forward pass 5 to produce the form 9 which is approximately 7 inches high and 7 inches wide, the rolls are moved toward each other as illustrated in Figure 2 and the bar is returned through the second and return pass 16, prior to which the bar may or may not be turned a quarter turn on its axis, and in this pass 16 the bar 10 is formed, and as the amount of the movement of the rolls toward each other is approximately one inch this bar 10 will now be about 6 inches high by 7 inches wide, whereupon it is now turned one quarter turn on its axis and entered into the third and forward roll pass 6 as illustrated in Figure 1, the approximate height and width of this pass being 6 inches; whereupon the billet 11 is now approximately 6 inches by 6 inches in section. Then the rolls are again moved toward each other about one inch and the bar is run through the fourth and return pass 17, which produces the shape 12, which is approximately 6 inches wide by 5 inches high. Then the bar is turned a quarter turn on its axis and forwarded through the fifth and forward roll pass 7 after the rollshave been again moved apart about one inch, and as the size ofthis pass is about 5 inches by 5 inches, a bar 13 of this size is produced therein. The rolls are then moved as illustrated in Figure 2 and the bar returned through the return pass 18, where the size of the bar 14 becomes approximately 5 inches wide by 4 inches high, Finally the bar is given a quarter turn on its axis, the rolls are opened about one inch as illustrated in Figure 1, and the b: is forwarded through the seventh, or in this case the last and forward pass 8, the width and height of which are four inches and the bar then becomes the usual 1 inch by 4 inch billet. If it is desired to produce st inch by 3 inch slabs or billet-s the rolls could be moved together again as illustrated in Figure 2 and the bar 15 could be returned through the pass 19 and on issuing therefrom its size would be about 4: inches wide by inches thick.

After a bar has been reduced or formed in the passes 5 and 16 and the bar 11 is about to enter the third and forward pass 6, another bar 7 inches by 9 inches can at or about the same time be introduced into the first pass 5 and be rolled at the same time, and as each step in this operation occurs another bar can be entered into the first pass so that all the passes may at all times be in operation and a constant supply of blooms may be fed to the first pass and a constant delivery of finished bar's, billets or slabs may be issued from the last pass, whereby the product of the mill will be multiplied as compared with the previous practice about as many times as there are passes.

Although the dimensions above given with respect to the heights and widths of the various passes and the amount of the roll movement toward or from each other are those which I prefer and may be called the theorectical dimensions; I may on account of the practical aspects of the case vary these dimensions to a certain extent for reasons hereinbefore mentioned, and in order to make this clear I will now give the approximate dimensions of another set of passes which will come within my invention.

The first and forward pass 5 may have a height when the rolls are apart of about inches and when the rolls are closed the pass 16 made in the same grooves is about inches high more or less, and in both cases the over-all width of the pass between the outer portions of the collars may be about 7 inches and the width of the pass at the bottom of the groove about inches.

Pass No. 6 when the rolls are open has a height of 5 inches more or less, with a width at the outside of the collars of about 6?,- inches and a width at the bottom of the collars of about inches, and the height of the pass 17 formed in the same grooves when the rolls are closed will be about 4% inches more or less and the widths as before.

Pass No. 7 when the rolls are open may be approximately Q inches high more or less, the width at the outside of-the collars about inches and at the bottom of the collars about inches, and pass No. 18 formed in the same grooves when the rolls are closed has a height of about inches more or less, with widths as before, as just stated.

Pass No. 8 when the rollsare open will have aheight of about 4 inches more or less, with a width at the outside of the collars of. about l inches and a width at the bottom of the collars of about inches, and this pass is generally used as the. finishing pass and will produce what is commercially known as a 4 inch billet. The grooves oi pass 8 form pass 19 when the rolls are closed and this will produce a slab of about 3 inches thick by 4% inches wide more or less, but as before stated, pass 8 is the usual last pass "for 4 inch by i inch billets.

The dimensions just given refer to rolls designed with a slope of the collars of about 10 degrees, but as before stated I wish it understood that this slope may be more or less and the movement of the rolls toward or from each other may be about one inch more or less and the distance apart of the rolls when closed, or what is known as the parting of the rolls, namely the space 21, is about 9,: inch more or less between the collars.

In order to make this matter clear I wish to explain that in my invention a pair of grooves one in each roll opposite each other form each pass, and the succeeding passes may be of different sizes and shapes in order to ultimately produce a bar of the conformation desired. Each of these passes may be formed by opposite grooves in eachroll, which grooves however are always of the same size but the pass formed by this groove and its companion groove is changed in size by the amount or extent of the movement of the rolls toward and tr m each other as will be readily understood. The fillets of the grooves and the roundings of the collars may be inch radius more or less.

Although I have shown the grooves of certain predetermined sizes. I wish it to be understood that these need not be exactly the same in all cases but that they may vary slightly as the rolls wear or are dressed, but they will always be approximately of the relative sizes and proportions stated.

Although I have shown and described my invention in considerable detail, I do not wish to be limited to the exact and specific details thereot, as shown and described, but may use such modifications in, substitutions for. or equivalent thereof, as are embraced within the scope or", my invention or as pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is y 1. The method of metal rolling comprising passing a plurality of bars simultaneously through a pair of reversing two-high rolls, moving said rolls toward or from each other a predetermined constant distance, the reduction of the bars at each pass after the tirst being equal to said distance.

2. The method of metal rolling, comprising forwarding a plurality of bars through a series of adjacent passes in two-high rolls while said rolls are spaced apart a predetermined distance, then returning the bars through the same passes after the rolls have been moved toward each other a constant distance, then turning the bars on their axes a quarter turn and forwarding each through the next succeeding pass, and so continuing, whereby a constant and predetermined reduction is accomplished on each bar at each pass and a plurality of bars are reduced simultaneously in said rolls.

3. The method of metal rolling, comprising forwarding bars through a series of roll passes while the rolls: are set apart a predetermined constant distance, then causing the rolls to approach each other said distance, andreturning the bars through the reduced passes, then turning the bars one quarter turn on their axes and refoiwvarding each through its: next succeeding pass, the amount of reduction in each pass being equal to the substantially constant distance of the roll movement, thus forming the bars in the forward movement to widths approximately equal to the heights of the prior returning bars, whereby a plurality ot bars may be rolled simultaneously in one pair of rolls.

4:. The method of metal rolling comprising forwarding and returning a plurality of bars through a series of passes in a pair of two-high rolls which are alternately moved toward and from each other a constant distance and turning said bars a onequarter turn on their axes prior to each succeeding forward movement.

The method of metal rolling, consist:- ing of forwarding a plurality of bars simultaneously through a series of passes in a two-high mill. then causing the rolls to approach each other a constant distance and returning the bars through the same passes, then turning the bars one-quarter turn and forwarding each through the next succeeding pass after opening the rolls said constant distance.

6. The method of rolling metal. which consists in torwarding a. bar through a pass between two rotating rolls, then moving said rolls together a predetermined constant distance. reversing the rotation of the rolls and returning the bar through said pass. then turning the bar a quarter turn on its axis and opening the rolls said constant distance and reversing their rotation, then forwarding the bar through the next pass and continuing similarly, through the succeeding passes.

7. The method of rolling bars in a reversing two-high mill consisting of forwarding a bar through a roll pass, then closing the rolls a predetermined constant distance and returning the bar through the same pass, then turning the bar one-quarter turn on its axis and opening the rolls said predetermined distance then forwarding the bar through the next pass while supplying bars to the first pass whereby all the passes may be in operation simultaneously.

8. The method of metal rolling comprising simultaneously forwarding a plurality of bars through a series of roll passes, then causing the rolls to approach each other a constant distance and returning each bar through the same pass, then opening the rolls said distance, turning the bars a quarter turn and forwarding each through the next pass.

9. The method of metal rolling, comprising substantially simultaneously forwarding a plurality of bars through a series of roll passes. then causing the rolls to approach each other a constant distance and returning the bars through the same respective passes, then opening the rolls said distance, rotating the bars a quarter turn and forwarding each through the succeetiing pass, the successive widths varying by an amount approximately equal to said constant distance.

10. The method of metal rolling, comprising simultaneously forwarding and then simultaneously returning a plurality of bars through a series of passes in two-high rolls, the widths of the succeeding bars varying by a constant distance, and moving the rolls said distance to and from each other between said return and forward movement of the bars.

11. The method of metal rolling, comprising simultaneously forwarding and then simultaneously returning a plurality of bars through a series of passes in reversing twohigh rolls, the widths of the succeeding bars varying by an approximately constant distance, rotating said bars a quarter turn and opening the rolls said distance prior to the forward pass, and causing the rolls to approach each other approximately said distance prior to the return pass.

12. The method of rolling bars in a twohigh reversing mill consisting of passing the same through roll passes therein, then closing the rolls a predetermined distance and returning each bar through the same pass, then rotating the bars a. quarter turn and opening the rolls said constant distance and forwarding the bars through the next succeeding passes, and so continuing whereby all the passes may be in operation simultaneously.

1.3. In a rolling mill, a pair of two-high rolls provided with a plurality of registering grooves forming passes, the widths of the succeeding grooves varying approximately by a predetermined distance, said rollsbeing adapted to be moved to or from each other substantially said distance.

14. In a two-high reversing rolling mill, a plurality of registering grooves forming passes the height and width of succeeding passes alternately varying by an approximately constant distance, said rolls being adapted to be moved to or from each other substantially said distance.

15. A two-high reversing having three or more registering grooves in each roll adapted to form passes, with a. movement of rolls to and from each other approximately equal to the difference between the width of one groove and the width of the next groove.

16. In a rolling mill a pair of two-high rolls each provided with three or more approximately rectangular grooves adapted to form passes each pass being substantially the same height and width when the rolls are spaced a predetermined distance apart. said rolls being adapted to be moved to and from each other a distance approximately equal to the difi'erence between the height; of one pass when the rolls are so spaced apart and the width of the succeeding groove.

In witness whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

HARRY R. GEE-R.

rolling mill 

